Onoja:Bello Promised me Succession But Backed Ododo

 

 

Onoja: Bello Promised Me Succession But Backed Ododo

 

A former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Edward Onoja, has revealed that former Governor Yahaya Bello assured him for four years that he would succeed him, only to withdraw his support on the eve of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries.

 

Onoja, who now serves as a board member of the South-East Development Commission, made the disclosure during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast released on Saturday.

 

He recounted how Bello, under whom he served first as Chief of Staff and later as deputy governor, consistently encouraged him to prepare for succession while they were in office.

 

“For four years before 2023, he (Yahaya Bello) was the one who called me and said, ‘You will succeed me, get prepared.’ And of course, I planned, I worked, and when it was time, he gave all of us the opportunity to contest,” Onoja said.

 

According to him, Bello instructed about seven cabinet members, including himself, to obtain APC nomination forms. However, the former governor later threw his weight behind the eventual winner, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.

 

“At the end of the day, his heart and his choice were with the current governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo,” Onoja added.

 

He explained that Bello only informed him of the change of plans a day before the primary election, a decision he said he accepted in good faith despite his disappointment.

 

“When he broke the news to me a day before the primaries, I told him, ‘You are the boss, you are over me, what you see is what I see, so let’s go get the job done, but I hope you are not making a mistake.’ There were no issues, and then we went to the field and did our best for our candidate,” he said.

 

Despite the setback, Onoja maintained that he remained loyal to the APC and worked towards Ododo’s emergence in the November 2023 governorship election.